First Roundup At The OK Drill

Wayne Francis, emergency coordinator for Area 5 of the Ventura County Auxiliary Communication Service, mans the ham and GMRS radios for the Ojai Valley during the recent CERT drill.

Ojai Valley residents are expected to be more self-reliant and prepared when the next valleywide emergency occurs, be it earthquake, fire or flood.
The local disaster preparedness drill on Sept. 17 went extremely well with no major glitches, according to local officials.
The goal was to establish effective communication methods among citizens, volunteers, the Police Department and Fire Department, in the event of a disaster, said 1st District Supervisor Steve Bennett. With those mechanisms in place, local residents and Community Emergency Response Team volunteers should be able to respond more calmly and efficiently during major catastrophes.
CERT volunteers counted a total of 684 “OK” signs in the Ojai Valley within an hour of the drill, indicating that 684 households are prepared for a disaster and know to put up a sign when a real event occurs. An “OK” sign posted on the window of a house during a real disaster should show that members of the household are safe, and signals CERT volunteers to move on to others in need.
Volunteers divided themselves into nine neighborhood groups to count signs Sept. 17. Local participants were asked to post “OK” signs on their homes for the drill. In the breakdown, Mira Monte volunteers counted the highest number of neighborhood participants, with a total of 225 “OK” signs. Casitas Springs had the least, with no volunteers and no participants, according to the East City area CERT volunteer coordinator, Paul Garth. Meiners Oaks volunteers counted the second highest number of participants, 153 “OK” signs, the East City area, which runs from Signal Street to Gridley Road came in third with a count of 101 signs. West City, which runs from Signal Street to the beginning of Highway 33, counted 84 signs. Arbolada-Foothill volunteers came in next with 46 signs, and the East End of Ojai had 44 signs posted. Oak View volunteers counted 30 participants in their neighborhood and Upper Ojai volunteers counted only one.
The first test of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s reverse 911 system effectively made 12,000 calls in 10 minutes, according to Bennett. The Sheriff’s Department staff will have to work on a few minor technical issues to address unanswered calls, however.
Sean Kellythorne, incident commander for the citizen drill said that the communication between volunteers, the Police Department, and Fire Department went exceptionally well. Members of the Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club accompanied CERT volunteers on their “OK” sign count and relayed information to Kellythorne through portable amateur radios. He then transferred information to the police and battalion chiefs.
“Fire Department and Police said that the communication between volunteers, the Police Department, and Fire Department went exceptionally well. Members of the Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club accompanied CERT volunteers on their “OK” sign count and relayed information to Kellythorne through portable amateur radios. He then transferred information to the police and battalion chiefs.
“Fire Department and Police Department officials really see the value of this operation,” said Kellythorne.
“We had over 100 people on the streets which is almost 10 times the amount that the Fire Department could field. To say they were pleased would be an underestimation.”
Garth said that 40 more people signed up for the next CERT training and that local volunteers are hoping to get a much higher count for the drill next year.
“This is a classic example of the community wanting to help itself, and the government helping them do that,” said Bennett. “It was essentially a citizen’s drill that we helped coordinate. It’s the best kind of partnership when the government helps the people help themselves.”
To sign up for CERT training call Bennett’s office at 654-2703. To register a cell phone number for reverse 911 calls go to the county web site at countyofventura.org.